Yet another remote patient monitoring tool is hitting the market. Californian startup OnSky Health International is looking to the RPM space with the launch of its SkyPad system, which was developed for continuously-contact free vital sign sensing, as well as an emergency alert and calling system.

The system includes a sensor pad, which is able to use machine learning to sense vital signs, body motion and sleep quality without touching the skin. The service is also able to provide caregivers with updates on a patient’s health status and data about the patient. 

Users and caregivers are able to opt into a subscription emergency detection and alert service, which can send alerts about condition deterioration to pre-assigned first responders, who could be the caregivers. 

WHY IT MATTERS 

Remote patient monitoring is often pitched as a way to help individuals get care outside the four walls of a hospital. The tools are often used to help seniors age in the home. The market for senior care is on the rise. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the year 2034 there will be more adults over 65 than children under 18. 

“OnSky Health was founded out of a need to modernize healthcare and enrich quality of life for the aging population, in-home patients, those living with chronic health conditions and others in senior living environments,” Hung Nguyen, CEO and founder of OnSky Health, said in a statement.

“For the last three years, our R&D team has been working on the development of a proprietary ultra-sensitive sensor technology for comfortable health monitoring without skin contact. More recently, the pandemic has further heightened the need for remote patient monitoring, home care and telehealth.

"Our patent-pending technology combined with machine learning algorithms [enables] the breakthrough SkyPad virtual care solution that we are announcing today.” 

THE LARGER TREND 

There are a number of companies working in the remote patient monitoring space today. Earlier this month, Best Buy announced that it signed an agreement to acquire home care and remote monitoring platform Current Health.

Best Buy previously acquired remote senior monitoring service Critical Signal Technologies, and, in 2018, it bought aging-in-place tech GreatCall.

In September, Papa, a senior assistance startup, teamed up with Milliman HealthIO on an initiative to help patients install remote monitoring tools.